Rotterdam Port Connector Starting to Bear Fruit

The Rotterdam, which connects supply and demand online, has officially rounded off the test phase. It has been six months since the port of Rotterdam’s innovative new website Rotterdam Port Connector went live, and by now, some 25,000 individuals, employed by a range of international firms, have joined the network – and benefit from the tools offered by Rotterdam Port Connector almost every day.

The website was set up to bring potential international clients in touch with Rotterdam’s port business community. And it has proven to be a success: so far almost 100 inquiries have been made that have generated business.

Rotterdam Port Connector is primarily intended to make it easier for international companies to find a service provider in the port. The members of the Rotterdam Port Promotion Council (RPPC), the organization that took the initiative for the website, are mainly active in the transport, logistics and supply chain sectors.

“For us, the logical choice was to make a website that is anonymous, free of charge and secure,” explained RPPC Managing Director Marjolein Warburg. “It creates new opportunities for businesses all over the world. By now, we not only have visitors from Germany, France and the U.S.A., but also from, for example, China, Africa and India and other parts of Asia. Up till now, we mainly focused on promotional trips at RPPC, and had limited opportunities to include such far-flung destinations in our program. And while we will never underestimate the value of meeting each other face-to-face, we have nevertheless succeeded in making the world a bit smaller with the tools offered via Rotterdam Port Connector. Incidentally, Rotterdam Port Connector also offers a number of functionalities that allow for more personal interaction.”

For international clients, it only takes a few mouse clicks to get in touch with a service provider that is active in the port of Rotterdam or connected to the network of satellite ports and inland terminals linked with Rotterdam. And since Rotterdam’s port and industrial complex is home to a wide range of businesses and services, literally every type of cargo can be handled by the port – after which it can be forwarded to its next destination via one of a comprehensive array of transport options. Rotterdam Port Connector also provides the answer for companies with a specific logistics requirement in the area of the transport, storage or handling of cargo or a particular service. The inquiry is automatically forwarded to those companies that can accommodate the client’s request.

“RPPC has been bringing parties together for over 80 years, and now we have taken it a step further – online,” Warburg said. “This is a wonderful development, since no other port has such a platform. This is a true Rotterdam innovation, one that the rest of the world can benefit from.”